autumn salad with maple vinaigrette and waffle croutons

*This is a sponsored post for Eggo brand waffles. The recipe, thoughts and opinions are my own!*

I was really excited about this challenge to come up with non-breakfast (as in: not just butter and syrup) uses for our favorite freezer waffles.

Actually I kind of love a challenge of any kind, but my family’s obsession with Eggo waffles made this one extra fun.

This week’s theme is Thanksgiving foods. (Waffles on Thanksgiving? Really?!)

Yep! And,of course, my first thought was some kind of waffle stuffing, but that just seemed too… I don’t know. Too much work I guess.

Then this salad idea popped into my head and oh my word is it good.

The funny thing is, I don’t really remember serving or eating salad at any Thanksgiving dinners. Oh, I know they must have been there, but I never got around to them. I plan on changing that ‘salad-is-second-rate’ mindset with this one.

The combination of a maple vinaigrette with the buttery, toasted waffle croutons, toasted almonds and dried cranberries is just so much fun.

The waffle croutons are the perfect balance of crunchy and chewy and the dried cranberries are such a great complement to the tangy maple dressing.

This salad is festive, screams fall, and best of all… it is easy and delicious.

Oh, and I have to tell you a little secret… add some leftover turkey (or rotisserie chicken!) to this and it makes two big, fabulous dinner salads. So good! (That’s what I did last night and I *may* have eaten the entire thing by myself!)

autumn salad with maple vinaigrette and waffle croutons

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the dressing:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

freshly ground pepper & salt, to taste

for the salad:

3 whole wheat Eggo waffles

2 teaspoons butter

1 large head romaine lettuce, washed, dried and chopped

1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until well blended. Taste for seasoning and add more salt if desired. Set aside.

Toast the waffles, medium well, while a small skillet heats over medium heat. Take the waffles from the toaster, cut them into bite-sized pieces, and the toss them with the butter in the heated skillet. Toast until they are golden and crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together the chopped lettuce, dried cranberries and toasted almonds. Toss in the dressing until well coated and then toss in the waffle croutons. Serve immediately!